Effect of Accelerated Protons on the Surface Properties of Polyethylene

Abstract

The irradiation of low-density polyethylene with MeV protons leads to a substantial increase in surface free energy, its acid–base component, and surface polarity due to the appearance of functional groups in the surface layer, as confirmed by ATR IR and Raman spectra. It has been shown that the surface energy of the irradiated polymer depends little on the change in proton energy from 1 to 4 MeV at a fluence of 10¹⁵ proton/cm². It has been found that the oxygen content of the irradiated polymer surface increases as a result of oxidative reactions of the radicals generated during radiolysis and the thermal stability of the polymer decreases.